Lily

Author: Compiled by the "Lily" Editorial Department
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Lilies have long been associated with purity, elegance, and nobility in people's minds. Since the ancient Romans introduced lilies away from the Alps over two thousand years ago, their presence has been evident throughout civilization: the ancient Romans believed that a white lily was transformed from the milk of the goddess Hera, and thus lilies were used to be offered to the wife of the god of gods. In the images of the Virgin Mary during the Middle Ages, there was always a similarly quiet and elegant white lily beside her. The bead lily with an orange-red hue and upward-facing flowers appeared like flames in many artworks depicting later judgments. Moreover, people named other bulbous flowers with similar leaves and petals as "lilies," thus creating a richer and more extensive "lily" family.
Accompanying the development of human civilization over thousands of years, the lilies have reflected dazzling brilliance and an undeniable charm: Since the 16th-century Dutchman Cladius first introduced tulips to the Netherlands, and they flourished for the first time in the botanical garden of Leiden University, the Dutch people's passion for tulips has gradually intensified. Today, this genus named after the Persian word TULIPS boasts the most grandiose floral festival—the Dutch Tulip Festival.
The French also designated the iris, whose appearance seems quite different from that of lilies, as their national flower and called it the "Golden Lily," symbolizing "the authority of the ancient French monarchy" and "national purity, solemnity, and integrity." In Western tradition, the "lilies" also include the narcissus, said to be transformed from the beautiful and narcissistic youth Narcissus who drowned; the hyacinth, born from the blood of the handsome and beloved youth Hyacinthus, who died in the arms of the sun god Apollo; and the lily of the valley, which bloomed where the Virgin Mary's tears fell when Jesus was nailed to the cross.
The grandest spectacle of the "lily" family is undoubtedly the collaboration between the flower-loving French Empress Josephine and Pierre-Joseph Redouté. Josephine collected various rare and beautiful flowers in the gardens of her Chateau de Malmaison near Paris, and her court painter Redouté documented this remarkable achievement. One of his famous copperplate engravings is titled "Lilies," showcasing all the beautiful flowers that the Westerners of the time collectively considered "lilies." This work was painted and printed using 486 colors and published in eight volumes between 1802 and 1816. The book also includes annotations by renowned botanists of the time, such as De Candolle, De La Lohé, and Lefèvre-Delile, making it one of Redouté's most comprehensive works in terms of knowledge. Today, it remains a splendid read for all flower lovers, allowing them to transcend time and space to appreciate the rare flowers in the gardens of the French Empress.